As Britain braces for a potential heatwave, new research has found that warmer temperatures can be a living hell for many vulnerable people.
Figures from the Warm This Winter campaign reveal that 4.5m (8% of the population)[1] have been so hot in their home that it has made them unwell in the last 12 months, dubbed the ‘Hot House Syndrome’.
Now health and housing experts have issued a warning for those, especially in urban areas who are feeling hot in the city, with advice on how to cope as the UK suffers because of its failing housing stock.
The research commissioned by campaign group ‘Warm This Winter’ and carried out by Opinium, also reveals there is a much higher incidence of ill-health caused by high heat among those with preexisting health conditions or disabilities (15%).
Fiona Waters, spokesperson for the Warm This Winter said:
“Hot House Syndrome is a real problem caused by the UK’s appalling housing stock and affects the poorest and the vulnerable the most. The same people who suffer from damp, mouldy homes in winter are stifled in summer when the sun comes out.
“That’s because the solutions to keep us warm in the colder weather are the same as keeping us cool in summer. Better insulation, ventilation and even heat pumps that can operate in a cooling mode can all help. But the public need financial support to upgrade their homes.”
The Warm This Winter research also revealed that people aged 18-34, those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and those who rent from private landlords were more likely to experience heat related ill-health.
Dr Isobel Braithwaite, Public Health Doctor and housing researcher, commented:
“The complications arising from being too warm are especially dangerous among those with pre-existing health conditions and can contribute to summer being as dangerous to health as the winter in some cases. Without action, high temperatures in the future will herald health fears for millions.”
With six million people in fuel poverty, Warm This Winter has seven measures that those affected can take now which don’t cost much but will help make their homes healthier during the hot spell.
But campaigners are aware that whilst these hacks may help in the short term, the real solution is a proper programme of insulation and ventilation backed by over half of those polled (52%), yet four in ten households can’t afford to insulate their homes and need Government support.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, commented:
“The new Government needs to act quickly after the election to improve housing standards and roll out a turbocharged programme to install more insulation and ventilation measures, especially among lower quality housing stock.”
The research also found that those who suffer from excess summer heat have problems with sleep (31%) and nearly two-in-10 (17%) ,find the cost of keeping their homes at a reasonable temperature were among the most common issues experienced in the last 12 months.
Matthew Scott, from the Chartered Institute of Housing, added:
“The summer heatwaves of recent years offer a glimpse of what normal summer temperatures might look like in the future. As our world warms, this research adds to the growing body of evidence that energy efficiency and retrofit is crucial for making sure people can stay cool and healthy at home, as well as warm.”
And Jonathan Bean from Fuel Poverty Action said:
"Millions of us in dangerously hot urban flats suffer in summer, unable to work or sleep. We need a Healthy Home standard for all rentals, retrofits and new builds with decent standards of glazing, shading, insulation, ventilation and cooling to keep us safe during hot weather."
Director of UK Programmes for climate solutions charity Ashden, Donal Brown, said:
“Keeping homes cool and warm is mainly about insulation, insulation, insulation – of floors, walls and roofs. Then add ventilation and in some circumstances mechanical cooling using renewable energy.
“What’s essential in a rapidly warming world is that these techniques are adopted quickly by planners, regulators and the construction industry and we prioritise support for those least able to pay for them and those most vulnerable to overheating. We must train and upskill builders to include these techniques while undertaking building works on homes currently without insulation, or switching over to heat pumps that can also provide cooling functions on overheating days.”
NOTES
[1] Opinium conducted an online survey of 2,185 nationally and politically representative UK adults between 29th and 31st May 2024. On a nationally representative sample of 2,185 UK adults, 184 have been so hot in their home that they have been unwell in the last 12 months. 184/2185*53,646,829 (UK POP 18+ ONS) = 4,517,628
